Posted on October 19,2018 in Car Accidents

For years now, public awareness campaigns have been reinforcing the inherent danger of cell phone use while driving. In fact, one could argue that the war against texting and driving is nearly equivalent to the anti-drunk driving efforts of the 1980’s. Today, 47 states and the District of Columbia have instituted complete bans on texting while driving, while Texas and Missouri maintain bans for younger drivers. Only Montana and Arizona have no laws prohibiting such mobile device use. However, a new study suggests that simply hearing a cell phone notification may be just as distracting as actually using the device.

Interesting Research

Conducted by researchers at Florida State University, the study was published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology. Lead author Cary Stothart and his team examined the impact to an individual’s attention caused by a cell phone notification—either an audible tone or vibration—while performing a task that demanded concentration. Using a non-driving computer project, test subjects were asked to perform an attention-intensive task twice. During the second round, participants received either a call, a text, or no notification, but were not permitted answer the call or read the message. The subjects were not aware that the texts and calls were part of the study.

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 Posted on October 05,2018 in Car Accidents

 Auto accidents happen so quickly and are so traumatizing that a person’s adrenaline can mask the symptoms of an injury. Unfortunately, some of those injuries may be severe. In some cases, they may even be life-threatening. With that in mind, it is recommended that every accident victim know the most commonly experienced delayed injury symptoms. Learn more about them, and discover where you can find assistance with your claim, with help from the following information.

Head and Brain Injuries

Of all the types of injuries a victim can sustain during an accident, those involving the head are among the most common. They are also one of the easiest to miss. Victims may not be aware of hitting their head, may lose consciousness, and often lack any open wounds. Furthermore, it does not take an actual blow to the head to sustain a head injury; all that is needed is enough of a force to jar or shake the brain inside the skull. If you experience persistent headaches; changes in mood, personality, or physical function; or feel dizzy or lose consciousness, seek immediate medical help. You may have a head or brain injury.

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 Posted on September 26,2018 in Car Accidents

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, between 2 and 3 million Americans experience an auto accident injury that requires emergency medical attention each year. Overall, that same care is expected to cost victims some $18 billion throughout the course of their lives. Those accidents also cost victims about $33 billion in lifetime employment earnings.

While not all accidents can be prevented, there are ways that victims can mitigate their risks. This is especially true when it comes to reducing the risk of serious injury—and it all starts with choosing the right vehicle for you and/or your family.

Using Safety Ratings to Choose Your Vehicle

Safety ratings come from all kinds of sources, but not all are unbiased or reliable. For example, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) tests and rates cars, but the agency only sets mandatory standards. In contrast, the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is a non-government agency. They are actually funded mostly by insurance companies, so they have a good reason to keep drivers safe behind the wheel.

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 Posted on September 20,2018 in Car Accidents

America is full of busy people. There are workers rushing to their jobs, and parents shuffling their children off to school and soccer practice. Then there are those who are running late to a doctor’s appointment, or in a hurry to get to the airport. Unfortunately, all that hustle and bustle means that some drivers are going faster than they should. That can increase their risk of causing an accident, and may also lead to more serious injuries for victims. If one has happened to you or someone you love, know your rights, including your right to pursue full and fair compensation.

Respect for Speed Limits is Deteriorating

While most people do recognize that speed limits are the law and not a suggestion, researchers suggest there is an erosion of respect for those laws. In fact, a 2002 study found that one-third of drivers admitted to regularly driving at least 10 miles an hour faster than other road users. These were all self-reported incidents, which suggests the numbers could be much higher.

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 Posted on September 19,2018 in Catastrophic Injuries

Spinal cord injury victims often experience depression and fatigue after their injury. Caused, perhaps, by a mixture of issues that range from decreased social interaction, lack of sunshine and mobility, decreased social interaction, pain, trauma, and more, these ailments can be further exacerbated if the patient also suffers from vitamin D deficiency. Thankfully, one study has found that high-dose vitamin D supplementation could ease the severity of both symptoms, even among those who are not deficient.

Vitamin D Supplementation for Spinal Injuries

Scientists have previously found that spinal cord injury victims are between four and five times more likely to develop a vitamin D deficiency than those without such injuries. As it turns out, depression and fatigue are some of the most commonly experienced symptoms among those who have deficient vitamin D stores.

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 Posted on September 06,2018 in Premises Liability

Injuries—they can happen anywhere. Sometimes, they are simply accidents with no real traceable cause. But, defective staircases and sidewalks, falling objects, wet or sticky floors, a lack of security, or improper restraint of an animal are, most often, a case of premises liability.

What you do in the days, weeks, and even months after such an incident can determine whether you receive fair compensation for your any injuries you may have sustained. The following steps will guide you, regardless of whether the incident occurred at another person’s home, a government establishment, public place, or business.

#1 –  File a Report

If you are personally injured while on a homeowner’s property, you should notify the owner of the property that the incident occurred. Similarly, if you were injured while at a store, government establishment, or place of business, you should speak with the manager or a member of security and request an incident report. Fill it out, to the best of your abilities, and always request a copy before leaving the premises. This is an important, but often forgotten, piece of evidence by many people injured in premises liability cases.

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 Posted on July 23,2018 in Uncategorized

Getting into a car accident is most of the most stressful things a person can experience. Finding out that the person who caused the accident did not have auto insurance can be even more devastating. Generally, when a person causes a car crash, their insurance is responsible for compensating the other individuals involved in the accident. Without this insurance, the process of recovering costs associated with the accident can be significantly more complicated.

Uninsured Motorist Coverage

Automobile insurance is required by California law, but some individuals choose to drive without insurance anyway. Because of this, car insurance companies offer uninsured motorist coverage and underinsured motorist coverage. Uninsured motorist coverage is insurance which guarantees that the policyholder will be covered if they are involved in an accident caused by an uninsured motorist or are in a hit-and-run accident. California state law requires an uninsured motorist provision to be included in all auto liability policies. However, you may voluntarily decline this coverage via written request.

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 Posted on March 15,2018 in Car Accidents

By now, you have probably already heard about the dangers of texting while driving. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, AT&T, AAA, nonprofits, and other organizations have spent millions of dollars on campaigns to stop texting and driving. However, there are many other ways that drivers become dangerously distracted on the road.

Children Can Be More Distracting Than Texting

If you have children, you probably spend a lot of time transporting them from after school activities, to friend’s houses, or back and forth from school. According to several studies, you may be driving while distracted. One study showed that children were twelve times more distracting to a driver than texting was. Research has also shown that parents with children in the car spend, on average, three minutes and twenty-two seconds with their eyes off of the road for every sixteen minutes they are diving.

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 Posted on March 06,2018 in Defective Products

If you have ever driven on the highway, you have probably noticed the grey metal guardrails which line the sides of the road. These guardrails are intended to protect vehicles from going off of the road or crossing into the oncoming traffic lane. However, not all of these guardrails are protecting motorists the way they were intended. At least three lawsuits in several different states have recently been filed alleging that X-LITE guardrail is defectively designed and does not effectively protect motorists.

 X-LITE End Terminal Fails to Operate as Designed

The beginning and end of guardrails are called end terminals. These sections of guardrail may look simple, but they are intricately designed to serve several purposes. The X-LITE End Terminal is rounded on the ends and gently slopes toward the ground. This eliminates the sharp ends of the guardrail which, if hit by a car, would do a significant amount of damage to the vehicle and passengers in it.

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 Posted on February 22,2018 in Car Accidents

By now you have probably heard one of the many public service announcements reminding drivers to keep their hands off of their cell phone while driving. Ever since cellular telephones exploded in popularity, there have been car accidents caused by people talking or texting on their phones. Texting while driving is a highly-reported issue, but you should know that there is another cause of dangerous distracted driving. Drowsiness, or simply being sleepy, is also a factor in many distracted driving accidents.

New Research Shows Sleepy Drivers Are Prevalent

A recent study released by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that the rate at which motor vehicle accidents happen is much higher than previously estimated. While government statistics indicate that only about 1 to 2 percent of all car accidents involve a drowsy driver, AAA’s research shows that the actual rate of drowsiness-caused car accidents is about ten times that. Behind-the-wheel sleepiness was found to be a factor in almost 11 percent of all car accidents which resulted in injury, significant property damage, and/or airbag deployment.

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